Tool



June 14, 1932. E WELHAVEN 1,862,556

TOOL

Filed Aug. 9, 1950 WWW 27 Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED s'rATE s PATENT ,OFFICE/ EDWARD WELHAYEN, on CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, AssiGNoR 'ro wnsrnnn ELECTRIC com- .PANY, INCORPORATED, on NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK Application filed August 9, 1930. Serial No. 474,146.

- This invention relatesto tools, and more particularly to guarded wire cutters.

The primary ob ect of this invention is to provide a simple andeficctive guard for tools.

5 In accordance with the general features of this invention there is provided, in one anbodiment thereof as applied to a wire cutter of known construction, a guarding and retaining device comprising two aligned ele-' inents securedto the side faces of the respective cutter jaws opposite to the cutting. edges thereof, one of the elements being resiliently mounted. The arrangement is such that the inner adj acnt edges of the elements are in l abutting relation upon completion of a cutting operation when the severed end of the wire is less than the width of the jaws, thereby retaining the severed end of the wire within an enclosure formed by the jaws and the elements and preventingit from flying of this invention, showing a severed length of.

wire held by the guarding and retaining device; g

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the guarded jaw end of'the wire cutter shown in Fig. 1 with the jaws closed Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 illustrating the severing,

- guarding. and retaining of a comparatively short length of wire, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the severing and retaining of a length of wire extending across and from the jaws of the cutter. Q

As shown in the drawing, the numeral 10 represents a wire cutter of a standard known construction having the usual handles 11 and 12 which are pivoted at 13 (Fig. 2) and provided respectively with lower and upper opposed recessed jaw ends 14 and 15 having straight cut-ting edges 16 and 17, respectively, at their left sides (Figs. 3 and 4). At their inner sides the cutting edges 16 and 17 extend in the usual manner angularly downwardly and upwardly respectively,to the right sides of the jaws, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Secured to the sides ofthe jaws 14 and 15 opposite to the cutting edges 16'and 17 are comparatively thin-metal guarding and retaining elements 20 and 21, respectively,

lying close to and shaped to conform to the aws, and when the cutting'edges thereof are engaged, meeting. in abutting relation as shown in Fig. 2, in alignment with the cutting edges, thus forming with the-surfaces of the jaws an enclosure 22 to be referred to hereinafter. face of the jaw 15 and the handle 12 bysc'rews 23 so that no relative movement between the handle 12, the jaw 15 and the element 21 occurs, While the element 20 is pivotallycarried upon the face of the jaw 14 by means of a screw 24. suitably tensioned spring 25 is mounted on the handle 12 by means of the screw 23, which secures one end of the element 21 to the handle 12. The left end of the spring 25, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, is formed with an angular arm which is entered The element 21 is-fixed to the in an aperture in the corresponding end of the element 20 as indicated at 27 while the opposite end of the spring'is formed at an angle and engages a surface of the handle 12 surrounding the pivot 13, as indicated at'28 (Fig. 2). spring 25 under tension, such that the long arm thereof will tend constantly to move in a clockwise direction about the screw 23 secured to the handle 12, the element 20 will.

follow, pivoting about the screw 24, thus providing a resiliently mounted element which will always tend to move toward the adj acent element 21.

In the operation of the wire cutter 10 equipped with the guarding and retaining elements 20 and 21 as hereinbefore described and when used for severing the end of a wire 30, the length of which is less than the width It will be apparent that with the of the enclosure-22 formed betwcen'the inner sides of the cutting ed es 16 and 17 and the corresponding sides the elements 20 and 21, it is only necessary for the operator to 5 separate the jaws 14 and in the usual manner in thistype of cutter and insert the end of the wireto be severed. between the cutting closed upon' the wire before the actual sev ering thereof, the resiliently mounted element will move about its pivot 13 and engage the opposite element 21 as shown in Fig. 3 and complete the enclosure-22. When the severingpressure is exerted upon the jaws 14 and 15 the end of the wire will be severed and fly across the enclosure 22 and strike'the inner'sides of the en ed elements 2 0 and 21 and then -fall.to t e sure, as indicated in dotted outline at 31. In this operation of severing a short piece of wire 31 the elements 20 and. 21 serve as an eiiective guard and prevent the severed wire end 31 from flyin free of the cutter and possibly i njuring t e operator or other person nearby. Also in some instances, depending upon the purpose of severing theshort pieces of wire 31, or the value of the material of which the'wire is composed, it may be desirable to retain the severed wire ends in.

the cutter enclosure 22 so usedor salvaged. 7

that they may be In'the case of'severing an end of the: wire 30 whioh'j'is greater than the width of the jaws 14 and 15 and which extends outwardly fromthe guarding and retaining elements 20 and 21, the wire is mounted between .the cutting edges 16 and 17 and the elements as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and the element 20 .will bespaced from the element 21 a distance corresponding to the diameter of the wire after the jaws have been closed thereupon,

but will be resiliently engagedtherewith so.

that the wire is gripped and retained between the opposed elements-20 and. 21. Upon severing pressure being exerted on the jaws 14 and 15 the wire 30 will be severed and a severed portion 32 extending between and from the opposed edges of the elements 20 and 21 will still be, retained therebetween by the resiliently mounted element 20 and until the jaws are separated. I

Although this invention has herein been edges, 'eac ottom of the enclocan be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed-is 4 .1..In a wire cutter, a pair of relatively movable ws having cooperating cutting 0 hot the jaws being formed and c0- operating when, closed to provide arecess at one side thereof, and enclosure elements carried by the jaws and arranged to cooperate with the recess formedby' thejaws when closed torovide a coin lete enclosure ferretaining s ort lengths 0 wire severed by the ]8.WS...

. 2. In a wire cutter, a pair of relatively 'movable "jaws having cooperating cutting edges, each f the jaws being formed and cooperating 'whenclosed to provide a-recess at one side. thereof, cooperating enclosure ele- I ments carried by the aws and abutting the recessed sides thereof, one of the elements being pivotally mounted, and. resilient means for'urgin'g the pivotal element toward the other element to provide in cooperation with the other element and the surfaces of the recess a complete enclosure for retaining $9 short lengths of wire severed by the jaws.

3. In a wire cutter, a pair of relatively movable jaws having cooperating cutting edges, each of the jaws being formed and cooperating when closed to provide a recess at one side thereof, coo crating aligned enclosure elernents carried y the jaws and abutting the recessed' sides thereof, one of the elements being pivotally mounted, and resilient means for urging the pivotal element 130 toward the other element to provide in cooperation with the other element and surfaces-of .therecess a complete enclosure for positively retaining short lengths of wire "severed by the aws, said elements'also coop- 1C5 crating to grip and retain therebetween relativelyllong lengths of wire severed by the jaws.

In witnesswhereof, I hereunto subscribe my namethis 31st dayof J'uly A. -D., 1930. 11-0 EDWARD WELHAVEN.

disclosed and described in connection with a wire cutter of a standard known construction, it is clear that it may have a more gen- 'eral application and also that modifications 

